Internal venturi scrubber smoking device

ABSTRACT

A personal smoking device employing a venturi scrubber completely internal to the device, to contact the smoke or vapor, with water or other liquid.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of Invention

This invention relates to water pipe smoking devices, specifically to an improved water filtration mechanism for water pipes.

2. Discussion of Prior Art

Water filtration of tobacco, cannabis or other herbal smoke and has been in use for quite some time. Hookas are a classic example. Recently, the popularity of vaporized essential oils has increased and water pipes are being used for this as well. The smoke or vapor is pulled through a tube, under water and is allowed to bubble up through the water where it then is inhaled by the user. This can accomplish several things, to cool or warm the smoke or vapor, to remove undesired components from the smoke or vapor, to humidify the smoke or vapor, and with the use of additives in the water, to add flavor to the smoke or vapor.

Most water pipe devices use some form of bubble column technology. Contact between the water and smoke or vapor is accomplished by bubbling the smoke or vapor through water in one or more stages. Contact efficiency is commonly improved by using multiple stages, decreasing the size of the bubbles therefore increasing the surface area in contact with the smoke or vapor, and increasing the contact time between the smoke or vapor and the water. Even with these improvements, and their accompanying complication and expense, contacting and filtration is still limited by the bubble column technology.

One popular version of a bubbler is termed a “recycler”. In this particular device, the buoyancy of the bubbles is used as a motive force to pump the water between different chambers in the pipe, and thereby increasing the contact time. These devices embody a complicated design involving multiple chambers and can be difficult and expensive to manufacture. The multiple chambers and passages make a compact and efficient design nearly impossible. Still the efficiency of the contacting and filtration is limited by the bubble column technology.

In one version of a recycler, called a Venturicycler, a venturi ejector pump is used to provide additional motive force to recirculate the water between the separate chambers in the pipe. Some designs of the Venturicycler depart from the bubble contacting mode and enter into the scrubber contacting mode. This differs from the traditional bubble technology in that instead of contacting the smoke or vapor with the water in bubbles, the smoke or vapor is contacted with the water in the form of water droplets entrained in the smoke or vapor. The venturi scrubber substantially improves the contacting efficiency. However, the Venturicycler, still has all the manufacturing complications and expense of a multiple chamber recycler type system.

OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES

Accordingly, The objects and advantages of my invention are:

-   -   (a) To provide a personal smoking device with a venturi scrubber         that requires only a single chamber.     -   (b) To provide a personal smoking device with a venturi scrubber         with a simplified design.     -   (c) To provide a personal smoking device with a venturi scrubber         that is more economical to manufacture.     -   (d) To provide a personal smoking device with a venturi         scrubber, with a more compact design.

DRAWING FIGURES

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an internal venturi scrubber personal smoking device.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of an internal venturi scrubber personal smoking device.

FIG. 3. shows a perspective view of an internal venturi scrubber personal smoking device in which the venturi scrubber chamber acts as the means to deliver the smoke to the user.

REFERENCE NUMERALS IN DRAWINGS

10 smoke inlet

12 venturi inlet

14 nozzle

16 venturi

18 smoke outlet

20 venturi outlet

22 venturi scrubber chamber

24 water

26 venturi support

28 splash guard

30 splash guard support

DESCRIPTION—FIGS. 1 to 3

A typical embodiment of the internal venturi scrubber is illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. The entire device can be made of any material such as glass, plastic, metal, stone, ceramic or any other suitable material or any combination of materials. The smoke inlet 10 is connected to the base of the venturi scrubber chamber 22 and to the base of the nozzle 14. The venturi inlet 12 is positioned just above the nozzle 14 by the venturi support 26. The venturi inlet 12 is connected to the venturi 16, which is connected to the venturi outlet 20. The water 24 used for filtration fills the base of venturi scrubber chamber 22, up into the venturi inlet 12, up to the tip of the nozzle 14. The smoke outlet 18 is connected to the venturi scrubber chamber 22.

Another embodiment of the internal venturi scrubber personal smoking device is illustrated in FIG. 3. The entire device can be made of any material such as glass, plastic, metal, stone, ceramic or any other suitable material or any combination of materials. The smoke inlet 10 is connected to the base of the venturi scrubber chamber 22 and to the base of the nozzle 14. The venturi inlet 12 is positioned just above the nozzle 14 by the venturi support 26. The venturi inlet 12 is connected to the venturi 16, which is connected to the venturi outlet 20. The water 24 used for filtration fills the base of venturi scrubber chamber 22, up into the venturi inlet 12, up to the tip of the nozzle 14. The splash guard 28 is connected to the splash guard support 30 which is connected to the venturi scrubber chamber 22.

OPERATION FIGS. 1 to 3.

The manner of using an internal venturi scrubber smoking device is identical to other water pipe systems currently in use. Operation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2. is as follows. The user pulls the smoke or vapor through the device by placing his mouth on the smoke outlet 18. This creates a small vacuum in the venturi scrubber chamber 22. This vacuum pulls the smoke or vapor through the smoke inlet 10, and through the nozzle 14. The smoke or vapor is accelerated to a high velocity as it travels through the small opening of the nozzle 14. Upon exiting the nozzle 14 into the venturi 16, the larger diameter of the venturi 16, causes the smoke or vapor to decelerate. Through the ‘principle of conservation of energy’, and in this application specifically ‘the venturi effect’, this deceleration generates additional vacuum in the venturi 16. This vacuum pulls water 24 through the venturi inlet 12, into the venturi 16, where it is sheared into a mist and entrained by the high velocity smoke or vapor stream. Upon exiting the venturi outlet 20, the smoke or vapor and the water 24 separate. Smoke exits through the smoke outlet 18, the water 24 falls back to the base of the venturi scrubber chamber 22 to be reused.

Operation of the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 is identical to the previous embodiments except that the user would place his mouth on the opening at the top of the venturi scrubber chamber 22. The water 24 which has been pulled through the venturi 16 exits the venturi outlet 20, and then contacts the splash guard 28. The splash guard 28 catches the water 24 and allows it to return to the base of the venturi scrubber chamber 22.

SUMMARY, RAMIFICATIONS, AND SCOPE

Accordingly, the reader will see that the internal venturi scrubber personal smoking device of this invention can be used to filter or treat, smoke or vapor with a venturi scrubber, in a single chamber. This provides the following advantages:

-   -   A device using venturi scrubber technology can be manufactured         without the difficulty and expense associated with the         manufacture of multi-chamber designs.     -   An internal venturi scrubber design that results in a much more         compact design.     -   The simple and compact nature of the internal venturi scrubber         makes it particularly suited to combination with other water         filtration stages, such as a bubbler types. 

1. A personal smoking device comprising: a. means to collect smoke or vapor, b. a nozzle, to direct the smoke or vapor into a venturi, and c. a venturi to contact the smoke or vapor, with water or other liquid, and d. a venturi chamber to house said venturi, nozzle, and water or other liquid, and e. means to deliver the smoke or vapor, to the user.
 2. The personal smoking device of claim 1 wherein said nozzle has multiple orifices.
 3. The personal smoking device of claim 1 wherein the device is combined with other filtration stages.
 4. The personal smoking device of claim 1 wherein the venturi chamber acts as the means to deliver the smoke or vapor to the user. 